In a horse racing and the like, a track TV system or a relay broadcast TV system has been generally used for the audience to watch the status of the race.
It has been difficult, however, for such TV systems to trace the race progress of each horse individually, and it has been especially impossible for such TV systems to display the trace of each horse including its temporary rank during the race.
The race progress of each horse is precious data for predicting its following race, and is also used for monitoring rule violations such as course disturbance. In horse racing, for example, disturbing the course of other horses is a rule violation, and TV cameras are installed at several points around the race track in order to record sequentially the racing development of each horse during the race for obtaining patrol images by which whether there is any rule violation such as course disturbance or not can be judged after the race. Although the patrol images are presently used for judging during a race whether there is a rule violation or not, the images can be utilized as a decision basis after the race, if the detailed trace of each horse in the race can be displayed on the image.
Tipster newspapers and the like anticipate the ranking of starter horses by grasping characteristics of each horse through past races to define each one as a front runner or a stretch runner, considering handicaps, racing distance, ground conditions, likes and dislikes of each horse for clockwise or counter clockwise. However, since exact race progress information of each horse for past races cannot be available, anticipation considering the race progress (course taking) of each horse is impossible presently. This is because conventionally there were no effective methods of analyzing position information of each horse or each boat in horse racing or motorboat racing.
In the U.S., passing order and time of each horse at every critical furlong are manually measured for public announcement as recorded data, but this manual method is neither efficient nor capable of acquiring continuous record, only capable of acquiring intermittent data at every furlong at best.
In Hong Kong Racetrack, for example, an attempt is carried out wherein detection antennae are embedded in the racetrack and a transmitter is attached to each horse, to obtain the position information of each horse by detecting the horse that passes the antennae. An example of a horse position displaying device using such a transmitter is known as JP,2005-24315,A.
Since malfunctioning easily occurs in receiving signals from such a transmitter, and since the cost for newly required equipment is large, however, many problems must be solved for actual utilization of such a device.
Also, since there are no data for the past races while accumulation of new data takes time, even if such a device is installed, one or two years may be required before it can be applied for actual race anticipation. Also, obtained data will be insufficient as the race information, since it lacks data before the device is installed. In addition, the required cost is too large for small-scale racetracks such as local racetracks to introduce.
An idea of acquiring and displaying the position information of each racehorse from a plural number of TV cameras installed around the racetrack is shown in JP,6-165882,A.
The content of the official gazette is summarized hereunder; FIG. 1 is a whole block diagram showing an example of the movement reproducing equipment in the official gazette. This movement reproducing equipment reproduces the states of several horses, 9a, 9b and 9c, running in the racetrack 6 by moving horse models, 13a, 13b and 13c. Several TV cameras 7A-7L are installed in the racetrack 6 along the tracks where horses run. And the system is constituted so that image data captured by the TV cameras 7A-7L is respectively transmitted to each detection device 8A-8L. Detecting devices 8A-8L detect the image data of the running horses when the data is transmitted from the TV camera (7H, for example) that catches running horses 9a, 9b and 9c among TV cameras 7A-7L, and transmit the image data of horses 9a, 9b and 9c is to the object movement judging device 1. Judgement criterion registration equipment 5 is connected to object movement judging device 1, and colors of the riding wear and the cap and the like of each jockey, for example, are registered in object movement judging device 1 by using judgement criterion registration equipment 5, to be memorized beforehand.
Object movement judging device 1 compares registered data inputted from judgement criterion registration equipment 5 with detected data inputted from detecting devices 8A-8L, analyzes and traces movement of each running horse 9a, 9b and 9c. Each saddlecloth number of running horse 9a, 9b and 9c may be registered in object movement judging device 1 by judgement criterion registration equipment 5. Judgement criterion registration equipment 5 which is actually composed of a portable TV camera and others, approaches each horse and each jockey before the race is started, captures and registers the information one by one. A movement capturing means which captures movement position of moving objects such as running horse 9a, 9b and 9c is composed of said TV cameras 7A-7L and detecting devices 8A-8L.
Object movement judging device 1 transmits the trace result data of the movement of running horses 9a, 9b and 9c to movement data generating device 2. Movement data generating device 2 is installed as a unit in a game machine comprising running plane 12, horse models 13a, 13b, 13c and others.
Although it is difficult to capture the racing trail of a running horse, and it is especially technically difficult to track one target horse among the congested horse group since it is necessary to recognize the identity of the horse between image frames, no technical solution means is disclosed in the above-mentioned official gazette, JP,6-165882,A. Also, this official gazette is incomplete showing only an idea, since it does not disclose how to calculate the absolute position of the target horse.    Patent Reference 1: JP, 2005-24315, A    Patent reference 2: JP, 1994-65882, A